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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Glossary » P » proleg (abdominal proleg, anal proleg)

proleg (abdominal proleg, anal proleg)

Classification · Identification · See Also · Internet References
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
No Taxon (Glossary)
No Taxon (P)
No Taxon proleg (abdominal proleg, anal proleg)
Identification
proleg noun - fleshy foot-like organs, which serve various larvae in place of, or in addition to, legs. These are especially prominent in caterpillars. Note that larval insects may have both true legs (of which there are typically six) and a variable number of prolegs. See the diagram at right below for depiction of abdominal (or anterior) and anal prolegs in a caterpillar. The hook-like structures on the prolegs, useful in the identification of families of lepidoptera, are called crochets.

Photos and diagrams showing prolegs:
See Also
leg
crochet
Internet References
Wikipedia--Proleg
Contributed by Cotinis on 27 May, 2007 - 4:19am
Last updated 19 July, 2008 - 11:12am

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